Latest news with #LugeCanada
CBC
09-02-2025
- Sport
- CBC
Young Canadian relay team claims bronze at luge world championships in Whistler, B.C.
Social Sharing Canada's young luge team came into the world championships in Whistler, B.C., looking for experience. The experience they already possessed paid off in a big way Saturday when the squad used their knowledge of the tricky home track to capture bronze in the team relay. "It doesn't even feel real," said Embyr-Lee Susko, who raced the women's singles portion of the four-leg race. "And then for us to be able to pull this off altogether as a team, it really shows how solid we are as a team on this track. ... We took hundreds of runs here, and it showed today with the consistency that we were able to have across all of our slides." Devin Wardrope and Cole Anthony Zajanski raced the men's doubles portion for Canada, while Theo Downey took care of the men's singles. Beattie Podulsky and Kailey Allan capped the performance with the women's doubles. The Canadians posted a time of two minutes 51.641 seconds. They were 1.280 seconds behind a German team that claimed its fourth gold of the week, thanks to Julia Taubitz (women's singles), Hannes Orlamuender and Paul Constantin Gubitz (men's doubles), Max Langenhan (men's singles), and Jessica Degenhardt and Cheyenne Rosenthal (women's doubles). WATCH l Canada wins relay bronze on home track: Canada's luge relay team surprises with bronze at World Championships on home track 11 hours ago Duration 4:34 Austria grabbed silver, its third medal of the 2025 world championships. Several of the nine nations competing in the team relay struggled toward the end of the icy track. Latvia's women's doubles team of Marta Robezniece and Kitija Bogdanova crashed and flipped their sled. They were helped off the track and did not finish the race. The American men's doubles sled of Marcus Mueller and Ansel Haugsjaa skidded out of the final turn, but were able to readjust and hit the paddle, keeping their team in the race. The U.S. finished fourth. Italy was disqualified for a false start. Home track advantage The Canadians made good use of their innate knowledge of the track, Susko said. "We've run through so many different scenarios on this track of messing different things up that, even if people had small blips in their run, they had the skills in their tool box to be able to fix them without anyone really being able to notice," said the 19-year-old athlete, who hails from Whistler. The bronze medal is Canada's fifth ever in team relay at the world championships, and its first since 2016. WATCH l Canadian relay team reflects on 'thrilling' performance: Canadian luge relay team reflects on 'thrilling' performance at worlds 10 hours ago Duration 0:57 Canada's Theo Downey and Embyr-Lee Susko discuss their feelings after helping their luge team win relay bronze. At 23, Zajanski was the oldest Canadian in the group Saturday. A third-place finish is a big step for the young crew, said Sam Edney, Luge Canada's high performance director. "I think it's validation of the work that's been done over the past couple years," he said. "It's a starting point. I think we've got a young team — we've been saying it all along — but it's really just that this is the start of something good." Earlier on Saturday, Langenhan won a second straight men's singles title with a two-run combined time of 1:39.922 seconds. Repeating as world champion means a lot, he said. "I think last year, Altenberg is one of my favourite tracks. And then here in Whistler, normally it's every time so [expletive] close, and every small mistake costs you so much time," he said. "But in the end, I'm super happy with these two runs." Langenhan finished 0.135 seconds ahead of teammate Felix Loch, who posted a blistering time of 49.909 seconds on his second run. "I was under a little bit of stress after Felix putting such a good time down. But in the end I'm super happy," Langenhan said. "I think it's like the best compliment for the whole team. They put in so much energy throughout the whole season. And if you're bringing them one and two, I think they are super stoked." Austria's Nico Gleirscher took bronze. 53rd FIL Luge World Championships Whistler: Men's singles run 2 13 hours ago Duration 51:20 Watch the deciding run from the men's singles competition at the 53rd FIL Luge World Championships in Whistler, B.C. Langenhan also won gold in the new discipline of mixed singles on Thursday with Taubitz, who finished first in the women's singles race on Friday. Canada's three sleds did not make the cut for the second round of the men's singles race. Downey finished the first run in 50.815 seconds for 22nd place, Dylan Morse was 26th and Bastian van Wouw was 28th in his first-ever race at the senior level. Competing against luge veterans was "awesome" said the 18-year-old van Wouw. "I'm always watching the live streams of their races," he said. "And now being able to be a part of it is just unreal." WATCH l Full replay of team relay event: 53rd FIL Luge World Championships Whistler: Team relay 10 hours ago Duration 1:01:24
Yahoo
04-02-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Rebuilding Canadian luge team preaching patience ahead of world championships in Whistler, B.C.
There would be plenty of reason for the Canadian luge team to be feeling the heat right now. The world championships begin Thursday at home in Whistler, B.C., — a day that just so happens to also mark one year out from the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics. Yet the prevailing sense around the young squad is patience. "We want to be up there competing in those top-eight positions on a weekly basis. And are we there yet? No. But are we slowly making our steps to be there? That's what we're doing," said high-performance director Sam Edney, a four-time Olympian and silver medallist. Ultimately, Edney and Luge Canada are planning around potential podium appearances in 2030. The team as currently constructed is full of potential, but it lacks the experience of its competitors. Edney said there are certain benchmarks he's hoping his athletes hit in Whistler — including a top-10 or two among the women's sleds, and a top-eight in men's doubles. Coverage of the competition begins Thursday at 1:30 p.m. ET and runs through Saturday on CBC Gem and CBC-TV. WATCH | Canadian luger Caitlin Nash reflects on career, teammates: "If we hit those markers, then I think we're really feeling good about where we are going into that next [quadrennial]," Edney said. "I guess we're down to 12 months now, which is really the shocking thing. So there's a lot of work to be done this summer. And that's sort of kicking off [this] week with a big race at home for us." Canada's 10-person team for Whistler includes just one Olympian in Trinity Ellis, who placed 14th in the women's competition in Beijing. Ellis rooms in Calgary with teammates Caitlin Nash, 21, and Embyr-lee Susko, 19. Nash watched four years ago as Ellis and the now-retired Natalie Corless qualified for Beijing while she narrowly missed out. "That's been a lifelong goal, seriously, is going to the Olympics," Nash said. "And I feel like, I don't know, there's a lot of hope. And there's a lot of work to be done still, but I'm excited for that work." Nash currently sits 21st in the season-long women's World Cup standings, while Ellis is 22nd. Susko only moved to the senior circuit in the new year after spending the first half of the year competing on the junior side. "I think the more that she has that exposure with the world-class team races, then she's gonna be a force to be reckoned with," Edney said of Susko. Season has been 'tough' Still, Edney admitted the season has been "tough" as far as on-ice results are concerned. "We've got a young team, and I think that's the reality is we're constantly reminding ourselves of that. And that's something that we as a group, myself and the coaching staff, are connecting continually on," Edney said. "We're seeing some good results. And then when we remind ourselves of the age of the athletes that we're talking about, those results do look a bit better." At 22, Ellis has suddenly become the trusted veteran. "She's slowly becoming the quiet leader of the group, just really with some of the attitude she carries, the experience she brings into a weekly race, into a home race," Edney said. But there are some factors working in Canada's favour over the next year-plus as it forges toward its first Olympic podium appearances in the sport since Alex Gough bagged singles bronze and Edney was part of the team-relay silver at Pyeongchang 2018. Though she's only 22, Trinity Ellis, pictured at the 2022 Beijing Olympics, is already considered a veteran on the Canadian team. (Mark Schiefelbein/The Associated Press) Track knowledge can be a massive advantage in a sport that is often decided by tenths or hundredths of a second — and Ellis, Nash and Susko all learned the sport at the Whistler Sliding Centre, where they'll compete this week. "We all know that track like the back of our hands for sure," Ellis said. Nash added: "I feel like we probably have the most runs on that track, honestly, out of anyone ever." Edney agreed that home-track advantage is real. "The messaging going to the athletes right now is it's not so much the pressure's on here because it's your home — the pressure's off because it's your home. Use the run volume, use the knowledge of the track that you have to feel confident and slide really, really well," he said. "And we know that we're not gonna step on in the podium next week, that's a reality. We know that it's a long shot for that to happen. But is it the place to have the best result of the season? Absolutely." Canadians could surprise in Italy Fast-forward 365 days to the Olympics, and the young Canadians may find themselves in another prime position to win a surprise medal. The track in Cortina is currently undergoing a $90-million US renovation. The timing is so tight that the International Olympic Committee has named a backup plan in Lake Placid, N.Y. And if the Cortina track does get done on time, it'll level the playing field by making the Olympics the first time many athletes will have competed on it. "When we go to those new tracks and that run volume number evens out a bit here, then we know that we can slide with the best of them," Edney said. The lugers may also draw some inspiration from fellow Canadian slider Hallie Clarke, the skeleton athlete who seemingly out of nowhere holds both the senior and junior world titles. On the men's side, no Canadians rank among the top 30 in singles, but the doubles sled sits 13th. And so Edney tempered expectations for Whistler. "I hope they soak it in and really just enjoy the whole time. It's going to be a good stepping stone for our athletes," he said. "And I really hope that we can look back on the performances and celebrate those for the steps that they've made and the building blocks that it is in our '25, '26 plan, but then also looking ahead to 2030, because that's the real goal."
CBC
04-02-2025
- Sport
- CBC
Rebuilding Canadian luge team preaching patience ahead of world championships in Whistler, B.C.
There would be plenty of reason for the Canadian luge team to be feeling the heat right now. The world championships begin Thursday at home in Whistler, B.C., — a day that just so happens to also mark one year out from the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics. Yet the prevailing sense around the young squad is patience. "We want to be up there competing in those top-eight positions on a weekly basis. And are we there yet? No. But are we slowly making our steps to be there? That's what we're doing," said high-performance director Sam Edney, a four-time Olympian and silver medallist. Ultimately, Edney and Luge Canada are planning around potential podium appearances in 2030. The team as currently constructed is full of potential, but it lacks the experience of its competitors. Edney said there are certain benchmarks he's hoping his athletes hit in Whistler — including a top-10 or two among the women's sleds, and a top-eight in men's doubles. Coverage of the competition begins Thursday at 1:30 p.m. ET and runs through Saturday on CBC Gem and CBC-TV. WATCH | Canadian luger Caitlin Nash reflects on career, teammates: Canadian luger Caitlin Nash focused on 'lifelong goal' of getting to the Olympics 52 minutes ago Duration 1:09 "If we hit those markers, then I think we're really feeling good about where we are going into that next [quadrennial]," Edney said. "I guess we're down to 12 months now, which is really the shocking thing. So there's a lot of work to be done this summer. And that's sort of kicking off [this] week with a big race at home for us." Canada's 10-person team for Whistler includes just one Olympian in Trinity Ellis, who placed 14th in the women's competition in Beijing. Ellis rooms in Calgary with teammates Caitlin Nash, 21, and Embyr-lee Susko, 19. Nash watched four years ago as Ellis and the now-retired Natalie Corless qualified for Beijing while she narrowly missed out. "That's been a lifelong goal, seriously, is going to the Olympics," Nash said. "And I feel like, I don't know, there's a lot of hope. And there's a lot of work to be done still, but I'm excited for that work." Nash currently sits 21st in the season-long women's World Cup standings, while Ellis is 22nd. Susko only moved to the senior circuit in the new year after spending the first half of the year competing on the junior side. "I think the more that she has that exposure with the world-class team races, then she's gonna be a force to be reckoned with," Edney said of Susko. Season has been 'tough' Still, Edney admitted the season has been "tough" as far as on-ice results are concerned. "We've got a young team, and I think that's the reality is we're constantly reminding ourselves of that. And that's something that we as a group, myself and the coaching staff, are connecting continually on," Edney said. "We're seeing some good results. And then when we remind ourselves of the age of the athletes that we're talking about, those results do look a bit better." At 22, Ellis has suddenly become the trusted veteran. "She's slowly becoming the quiet leader of the group, just really with some of the attitude she carries, the experience she brings into a weekly race, into a home race," Edney said. But there are some factors working in Canada's favour over the next year-plus as it forges toward its first Olympic podium appearances in the sport since Alex Gough bagged singles bronze and Edney was part of the team-relay silver at Pyeongchang 2018. Track knowledge can be a massive advantage in a sport that is often decided by tenths or hundredths of a second — and Ellis, Nash and Susko all learned the sport at the Whistler Sliding Centre, where they'll compete this week. "We all know that track like the back of our hands for sure," Ellis said. Edney agreed that home-track advantage is real. "The messaging going to the athletes right now is it's not so much the pressure's on here because it's your home — the pressure's off because it's your home. Use the run volume, use the knowledge of the track that you have to feel confident and slide really, really well," he said. "And we know that we're not gonna step on in the podium next week, that's a reality. We know that it's a long shot for that to happen. But is it the place to have the best result of the season? Absolutely." Canadians could surprise in Italy Fast-forward 365 days to the Olympics, and the young Canadians may find themselves in another prime position to win a surprise medal. The track in Cortina is currently undergoing a $90-million US renovation. The timing is so tight that the International Olympic Committee has named a backup plan in Lake Placid, N.Y. And if the Cortina track does get done on time, it'll level the playing field by making the Olympics the first time many athletes will have competed on it. The lugers may also draw some inspiration from fellow Canadian slider Hallie Clarke, the skeleton athlete who seemingly out of nowhere holds both the senior and junior world titles. On the men's side, no Canadians rank among the top 30 in singles, but the doubles sled sits 13th. And so Edney tempered expectations for Whistler. "I hope they soak it in and really just enjoy the whole time. It's going to be a good stepping stone for our athletes," he said. "And I really hope that we can look back on the performances and celebrate those for the steps that they've made and the building blocks that it is in our '25, '26 plan, but then also looking ahead to 2030, because that's the real goal."
